Basically.... Let's go international!!

As you have already suspected, people ll over the world experience depression, anxiety, suicidal ideations, bi-polar disorders, and other mental health illnesses. Today we look at international counselors, in the sense of American counselors who travel to another country to counsel and counselors in born and raised in different countries. Lets start by discussing opportunities for counseling abroad.

For those like me who are interested in traveling and living abroad, international counseling may be a route for counselors to consider. There are many jobs abroad that are now coming to seek counselors to help infleuence their communities and companies. So if you're like me, you're probably thinking "well can I go abroad to counsel?" Well of course you can! You just have to go out and look for the opportunity to do so!

Where do I start?

Glad you asked, I'll go over some job sites that are currently seeking counselors. However you should be advised that some of these job offers are through individual organizations so you should do extensive research before you go divulging your personal information online. Abroad.com has a section devoted to counseling jobs overseas, however this jobs are independent organizations. Some of the countries listed are Japan, New Zealand, China, and Germany to name a few.
International School Services has a list of international schools that are seeking counselors for different countries. However if you are not wanting to work closely with children, this site is not the one for you. Lastly USAJobs.gov has a section for recent graduates seeking employment, so for those in my position, this is an ideal place to start for me.  Listed below are other sites that I've come across but have mixed feelings about their authenticity, so proceed with caution:

• http://www.oacac.com/jobs
• http://www.learn4good.com/jobs/schoolcounselor/united_arab_emirates_uae/postings/
• http://boards.bootsnall.com/volunteeringworking-as-a-therapist-abroad-t30139.html

So I've looked over the sites and I'm ready to start the applications! But wait, what's the catch-22?

Well here are some stipulations to counseling abroad that I've come across:

• Your should be fluent in the language of the host country that you are traveling to.
• Well if you think about it this makes perfect sense, why would you hire a someone from a different country who you are unable to communicate with?
• You'll have to be licensed.
• Almost all the positions that I looked into required a licensed counselor, social work, MFT, etc. They also usually specified that there be a minimum time period that you experience in the specific job area. 
• Think about it - as an employer I'll have to go through hoops to legally employ you so I better make sure you're worth the trouble!
• You might have to work in a rural area.
• Many of the positions that I've come across have been with partner organizations that are targeted at improving developing countries where you might not have certain luxuries.
•  You might have to be willing to take a pay cut.
• Like I've previously stated you might be staying in rural areas where your working with a private organization that has low funding but high enthusiasm for helping others. You'll probably receive food, shelter, and other basic needs met, however there actual pay that you'll receive may be much lower than you're used to. 
• This disclaimer does not apply to jobs offered through the US government, such as being a traveling counselor on military bases.
• Your position might be temporary. 
• Depending on the stipulations in your contract or the agency you go through, the gig might be up in a couple months! This means that you have to consider if you're financially stable enough to move, if your family would be moving with you (if you have a partner and/or children), among many other things.

Those were just some of the things that I noticed or thought might be useful to consider when applying to jobs abroad. Although some of the considers might seem overwhelming, my suggestion would be to apply. You's rather say apply and have to turn them down than never to apply at all and spend the rest of your days thinking of what could have been!!

Till next time!